EMA Awards 2025: Recognising Excellence, Celebrating Community Impact in Paris

Each year, the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA) shines a spotlight on the dedication, talent, and impact of its global network of volunteers and members through the EMA Awards—a tradition of recognition that reflects EMA’s values of excellence, engagement, and diversity.

At this year’s 2nd Annual Conference and 19th General Assembly, held in the heart of Paris, France, from May 15–18, 2025, EMA members and stakeholders came together to celebrate community, collaboration, and outstanding achievements. One of the most anticipated segments of the event was the EMA Awards 2025, where stories of dedication, leadership, and innovation were honoured.

The awards were open for nominations in four distinguished categories:

1. EMA Cultural Exchange Ambassador Award: This award honours an individual who significantly promoted cultural exchange and understanding across borders.

2. EMA Rising Star Award: This award acknowledges members or volunteers with three to twelve months of involvement in the community and who exhibited exceptional engagement and impact.

3. EMA Ambassador of the Year Award: This award recognizes active Programme or Country Representatives and their innovative contributions to the Erasmus Mundus community.

4. EMA Lifetime Achievement Award: This award celebrates the exceptional success, outstanding contributions, and long-term dedication of members or volunteers with over five years in the EMA community. 

The recipients of the EMA Awards 2024 are:

Cultural Exchange Ambassador

Shraddha Dhamore

Program Representative for Sustainability in Agriculture, Food Production and Food Technology in the Danube Region

Ambassador of the Year

Ana Huembes Country Representative for Nicaragua

EMA Rising Star Award

Valentina Carvajal García

Corporate Partnerships Coordinator, Partnership Development Unit

EMA Lifetime Achievement

Manasseh Anand Makhesh

Team Lead, EU Projects and International Collaboration (EPIC), Project Support Unit

In addition to these awards, several other recognitions to the broader EMA Community were bestowed. The EMA Presidential Award was presented to individuals and teams who displayed exceptional dedication and significantly contributed to the EMA community in the past year. The awardees included: 

Poster Winners from the poster competition 2025:

1. Ivan Patrick Tualla

2. Md Shafqat Amin Inan

3. Oscar Andrade

4. Shraddha Dhamore

The recipients of the EMA Presidential Excellence Award 2025 are

Reagan Paul Ambrose Chidhakwa

Country Representative for Zimbabwe

Almaz Mirzayeva

PRNet Coordinator, Students and Alumni (S&A) Unit.

Md Mahamudul Hasan Mredul

Newsletter Editor, Communications and IT (CIT) Unit.

EMA Certificate of Appreciation

During the 19th General Assembly of the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA), held in Paris, France, from May 15–18, 2025, EMA proudly recognized the outstanding service and dedication of its Management Board (MB) members with Certificates of Appreciation. These individuals have played a vital role in driving the association’s mission forward, fostering international collaboration, and supporting the global Erasmus Mundus community through their leadership and commitment.

The certificates were awarded to the following unit directors: Razan Rashid, Director of the Communications and IT Unit; Dr. Collins Santhanasamy, Director of the Partnership Development Unit; Marvi Qazi, Director of the Project Support Unit; Razy Aman Eddine, Director of the Legal and Internal Affairs Unit; Shahin S Eity, Director of the Policy and Quality Assurance Unit; Nikshan Paudel, Director of the Students and Alumni Relations Unit; Raquel Galeano, Director of the Talent Management Unit; Dr. Tarun Kumar Agrawal, Director of the Research & Innovation Unit; Yixuan Zhu, Director of the Finance Management Unit; and Rajon Bhuiyan, Director of the Outreach and Capacity Building Unit. Each of them has demonstrated exemplary leadership, strengthened community engagement, and contributed meaningfully to EMA’s strategic goals.

🌟 Special Tokens of Appreciation

In addition to the MB recognitions, special tokens of appreciation were awarded to two key leaders for their distinguished service during the 2023–2025 term:

• Ruturaj Trivedi – Vice President, EMA (2023–2025)

• Dr. Md Ashiqur Rahman – President, EMA (2023–2025)

Their strategic guidance and unwavering dedication have played a pivotal role in shaping EMA’s growth and success during this period.